Barika Rastegar
Classy, well-educated, and open-minded, Barika meets Loto and Haydn in the midst of her dangerous work as a political revolutionary. Her life's goal is to portray a true and sincere Islam, yet radical interpretations of her faith cause her to waver. toc Profile Physical Appearance Her long brown, wavy hair covered in a hijab, Barika has olive-toned skin and a beauty mark under her right eye. She is full-figured and well-endowed and chooses to dress modestly as a sign of self-respect, for she considers her mind more valuable than her body. She is often seen wearing red, pink, gold, or tan tunics and baggy pants. Although she occasionally wears lavishly designed hijabs and kurtis, she prefers to dress simply, with few visual adornments. Personality Barika is a polite cynic. Although she is courteous to others, she can be extremely sarcastic and negative. She is naturally maternal and tends to treat her friends as if they are her children (for better or worse). Inside, she is constantly battling the conflict between her faith and her sex, yet she continues to uphold her belief in a god that loves women and girls as much as men and boys. Development Abilities and Powers Physical Skills Barika is an accurate shot with most handguns and skilled with the scimitar. Because of her involvement in Shazeb's revolutionists, she learned to use these weapons as a form of self-defense rather than for violence. Magical Powers Barika possesses no magical powers. Friendships Barika and Ursula By circumstance, Barika befriends Ursula in Innes, for she has more in common with her than with Loto and Haydn. Although Ursula shares little about her past, Barika still enjoys her company on a superficial level. They shop, dine, and watch TV together--activities that Loto takes little interest in. Barika frequently perceives Ursula as an immature teenager rather than as an adult. Ursula, for instance, often makes insensitive or ignorant comments about Barika's culture, but the Muslim woman usually overlooks these remarks as if she is being addressed by a child. By the end of the Shangri-La Saga, Barika begins perceiving Ursula in a different light. She realizes the degree of sadness that lurks within Ursula's heart and attempts to understand her. Because Ursula betrayed the Veruki and imprisoned them, Barika eventually breaks off her friendship with the Agatan. Barika and Loto As an older and maternal woman, Barika mistakenly views Loto as a child (as is the case with many of her friends). She trusts the Veruki woman as a companion but is unable to connect with her on a deeper level as she has nothing in common with her. Loto occasionally says offensive things about Islam, and Barika has no trouble verbally retaliating against her as she knows that Loto will listen and reassess her opinion based on her offense. Unlike Ursula, Loto is open to being educated, and Barika, therefore, does not bite her tongue around her. Barika and Haydn Like her other friends, Barika looks at Haydn as a spoiled child. While she is somewhat put off by men, she doesn't personally have any issues with him, most likely because he does not conform to the traditional role of "the man." Originally, Haydn and Barika were scripted to fall in love with one another, which is evinced in Volume 1 in the issue, "A Hijab of Pride." Near the end of the chapter, Haydn and Barika are seen holding each other in fear. However, their lack of chemistry motivated the creator to discard this side storyline. Barika and Chua Because Chua is mature, articulate, and level-headed, Barika perceives him as her equal and finds herself attracted to him. She had received somewhat of a bad impression of the Veruki because of Loto's idiosyncracies, which she had assumed was representative of her community. Being around the Veruki in their displacement, however, exposed her to the true face of the tribe. Barika and Fatema Barika befriended a fellow Muslim woman, Fatema, in Innes. Fatema, a feminist, is responsible for rejuvenating Barika's lost faith in Allah. Their friendship ended when Barika unexpectedly kissed her. Barika and Muktar Barika rescues a young, pre-teen girl named Muktar from an abusive family, who wants her to marry the man who raped her. Child marriage is very common in fundamentalist Christian and radicalist Islamic cultures, and Barika had never witnessed, first-hand, the terror young girls experience as a result of religion. Because her family feels that a girl's worth is tied to her "purity," they try to force Muktar into marrying her rapist because "no one else would want her." Barika attempts to encourage education for the young girl, but her parents still refuse. Muktar, unable to handle the miserable future ahead of her, commits suicide. The loss of the young girl results in Barika's abrupt switch to atheism and misanthropy. Relationships Barika and Munahid Barika worked with Munahid as a political revolutionary in Shazeb. Although not much is known about their relationship, it is implied that they were sleeping together, and that Munahid was merely using her to gather information for the city's mullah...and for sex. Naturally, they broke up when Barika discovered he was betraying her. Barika and Fatema Barika's relationship with Fatema began as a simple friendship. Although Barika had assumed she was a heterosexual as that was the norm, her interaction with Fatema drove her to question her sexual orientation. She developed an attraction to the Muslim woman and, when she kissed her, Fatema grew angry and slapped her. While Fatema was not disgusted by homosexuality, she was disgusted that Barika was experimenting on her, and that her motivation to kiss her was driven by her personal confusion as opposed to genuine love.